Referees becoming endangered group

High School football officials are a vanishing breed

Vernon Northside's Zack Agnew (15) celebrates as an official signals Northside ball after a Jayton turnover in the fourth quarter of Vernon Northside's 60-41 win in the Six-Man Division II state championship game at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2006.

It isn't a battle to save high school football - at least not yet. But if the declining number of high school game officials continues at its present pace, it may soon reach that point.

Nationwide, fewer and fewer people are joining the profession, known for moderate pay relative to a large time investment and the high stress level that comes with it.

In Abilene it's no different, were the local chapter of the Texas Association of Sports Officials has seen its number of referees drop from roughly 140 in 1970 to fewer than 80 now - a decline of more than 40 percent.

The Abilene chapter annually tries to replenish its numbers with a ''rookies start meeting,'' to be held this year on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Shelton School of Nursing. Anyone over the age of 18 interested in becoming an official is invited to attend, including women.

Speculation on the cause of the problem contains many contributing factors. But a 2001 study conducted by the National Association of Sports Officials concluded that poor sportsmanship was the leading cause of most referee departures.

Recruiting new officials, it would seem, isn't the problem. The problem is in keeping the ones they already have. In Abilene, 10-15 rookies are brought in each year with more than half of them usually quitting by season's end.

''As people retire, we're just not replacing them fast enough,'' said Joe Clark, who heads a committee formed by the Abilene chapter to attract new recruits to officiating. ''We're trying to figure out why people aren't as interested as they used to be, because Friday night football isn't losing popularity.''

But, apparently, getting screamed at for moderate pay is.

When asked to list all the reasons why officials do not re-register, 76 percent of the respondents to the NASO survey listed ''poor sportsmanship among spectators,'' and 68 percent listed ''poor sportsmanship among participants (coaches and players).''

''If I had an answer to it, I'd be a brilliant guy&nbsp;... the UIL doesn't even know what the problem is,'' Morran said. ''They've conducted interviews with several hundred officials who have quit, and in these exit interviews they couldn't find a single factor that stood out above all the others.

''Low pay, the time requirement, coaches' demeanor on the sidelines and the fans' demeanor in the stands were all contributing factors.''

The dwindling number of officials has reached a critical level.

With few experienced referees to work with, Morran has already been forced to borrow officials from other chapters to cover games in the Abilene area. He has even had to use first-year referees in varsity high school games - an assignment which would have been unthinkable in the past.

''It's not fair to the official, because he's not ready for the type of game he'll see at that level,'' Morran said. ''But it's also unfair to the players, coaches and fans.''

The incentives for new referees are low, and aren't much better for veterans.

Referees usually work from three to five games per week, with rookies working primarily subvarsity and youth football for roughly $30 per game.

Veteran refs bring in a guarantee of $40 per varsity game plus a percentage of the gate receipts, which typically average $50-$60 per game. A varsity game at some of the larger venues can fetch as much as $200, but it takes years of experience to reach that level.

Officials who perform well for 10-15 years may have the opportunity to work at the NCAA Division-I level, but Clark estimates that only about one in 50 ever achieve that goal.

''If you're in it for the money, you're in it for the wrong reason,'' said Morran, whose largest single-game paycheck was $895 for a 3A playoff game. ''You have to like kids, you have to like football and you have to be a little bit deaf with some of the things people will yell at you.

''It's not for everybody. If someone wears their heart on their sleeve and has a chip on their shoulder, they're not going to last.''

The life of a high school football official

<li> 2-3 nights per week working games

<li> 15 hours per week total

<li> $30 per JV game

<li> $50-$60 average per varsity game

<li> $150-$200 gross per week

Annual rookies start meeting

<li> When: 6 p.m. Tuesday

<li> Where: Shelton School of Nursing in the Hendrick Medical Center

<li> Note: Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and in reasonably good physical condition. Female applicants are welcome.